Review of 'The Case of the Missing Servant (Vish Puri, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Vish Puri, whether he is passing gas on an airplane, pretending to be a Christian missionary or shaking down thugs in the wee hours of the morning, is the most delightful detective I have come across since ol Poirot. Why? He is conservative, bossy, righteous, gluttonous, and yet so quirky and resourceful that you just want to pat him on the back and hand him a fried pakora. Tarquin Hall does an excellent job rendering this larger-than-fit character to life, but just as exciting is the setting in modern day India. This is an India replete with pollution, corruption, cruelty and inequality but the people, the food, the women and the ancient, polyglot, culture provide an honest, compelling portrait of a "New" Old India. I think this might be my favorite foreign-setting (not U.S. or Europe) cozy mystery I have ever read. I rate it 4 in the context of …
Vish Puri, whether he is passing gas on an airplane, pretending to be a Christian missionary or shaking down thugs in the wee hours of the morning, is the most delightful detective I have come across since ol Poirot. Why? He is conservative, bossy, righteous, gluttonous, and yet so quirky and resourceful that you just want to pat him on the back and hand him a fried pakora. Tarquin Hall does an excellent job rendering this larger-than-fit character to life, but just as exciting is the setting in modern day India. This is an India replete with pollution, corruption, cruelty and inequality but the people, the food, the women and the ancient, polyglot, culture provide an honest, compelling portrait of a "New" Old India. I think this might be my favorite foreign-setting (not U.S. or Europe) cozy mystery I have ever read. I rate it 4 in the context of books in general, but 5 plus for a place in the mystery genre!
